The courtyard had never felt this quiet before. Even the wind seemed to be holding its breath, and the frozen NPC guards twitched occasionally like they weren't quite alive. The Corruption Meter flickered again—15%—and I rubbed my temples.
"Master…" Arcelia said, voice low. "Something's… wrong."
"Relax," I said, though my voice sounded shakier than I wanted. "Probably just another minor glitch. Probably."
"Probably?" she repeated, glaring at me.
Before I could answer, a soft rustle came from the edge of the courtyard. I turned, just in time to see a shadow separate itself from the darkness. It moved silently, no wind, no sound, like it wasn't even supposed to exist.
A girl stepped into view. Dressed entirely in black, her presence swallowed light. Her hair was dark as midnight, and her eyes… sharp enough to make your skin crawl. I didn't like her.
"Who…?" Arcelia whispered.
I squinted. The system menu reacted immediately:
System Notification: Unknown Unit Detected – Affection Scan Failed – Immune to Harem Control
I raised an eyebrow. "Immune? That's… new."
The girl's eyes locked on me, calm, precise. "You're the one tampering with the system," she said softly. "Illegal existence confirmed."
"Yep," I said casually, trying to ignore the chill creeping up my spine. "That's me. Illegal, chaotic, and a little terrifying."
Her lips curved slightly—not a smile, exactly, more like a warning. "I've been sent to eliminate anomalies. That includes you."
I tilted my head. "Eliminate me? As in… delete me?"
"Yes." Her voice was calm, almost detached. "But I don't kill unless necessary."
Arcelia tightened her grip on her sword. "Master… should we—?"
I waved her off. "Nope. Let's see how this goes first. She's… different."
Lyra stepped closer, voice low. "She's completely undetectable. The system can't touch her. This isn't a normal fight."
I laughed nervously. "Of course it isn't."
The girl took a single step forward, but it felt like the shadows themselves were stretching behind her. She didn't attack. She didn't speak further. She just… watched.
The Corruption Meter blinked again—17%.
I muttered under my breath, "Fantastic. My illegal life just got more… complicated."
Arcelia glanced at me nervously. "Master… what is she?"
"I don't know yet," I admitted. "But whatever she is… she's not messing around. And I have a feeling she's going to make my life really… interesting."
The girl tilted her head slightly, like she was studying a puzzle. Then she took a step back into the shadows. "I'll be waiting," she said softly. "Don't make me come for you."
And just like that, she vanished.
I exhaled. "Well… that was unsettling."
Arcelia's sword lowered slightly. "Master… she's dangerous. And she knows something about the system you don't."
"Yeah," I said, rubbing my neck. "And I have a feeling we haven't even scratched the surface yet."
The wind picked up suddenly, whispering through the courtyard. The NPCs blinked again. The system flickered. The Corruption Meter edged higher.
I frowned. Something told me that the shadow assassin wasn't just a warning. She was the beginning.
And whatever was coming… was going to be a lot worse.